Girls Basketball: Essential Links for 2014

At one point or another, athletes begin to play sports because its fun, and right now, it is tough to find a Union County girls basketball team enjoying themselves more than Westfield.

"It's so much fun. I know everyone is having a great time with it," junior guard Jackie Knapp said. "It's exciting."

The team is not only off to the best start in head coach Joe Marino's 15 years, but the best start in the team's history. Westfield is 9-0 and is beating opponents by an average of 19 points.

Knapp along with fellow junior guard Lillian Scott lead the team in most offensive categories. Scott averages over 20 points per game, which is third in Union County. Knapp is second on the team with nearly 16 points per contest.

The pair of guards are both in their third season with the team and provide leadership on and off the court. Seniors Carly Friedman and Morgan Maloney also give the team additional leadership and are reliable players for the guards to work with on offense.

Maloney, however, credits everyone on the team for doing their part.

"I think it's our depth that really sets us apart because a lot of teams have incredible players like Jackie and Lil, and I think when you look at our team, originally that's really what you look at," Maloney said. "But I think the fact that we do have other girls that we can put on the court that can get the job done as well really sets us apart."

Sophomore Amalia Montes leads the team in rebounding with nearly six per game and sophomore Olivia Luzzi is a great third scoring option as she averages over nine points a game.

The girls have actually been so on point with what the team wants to do on the court that Marino can sometimes be just a fan rather than a coach.

"When the games are being played, I can actually sit back and enjoy watching them play most of the time because we go over everything we need to in practice and they know it so well that when they are on the floor, I don't need to sit there calling everything out for them like it's robotic," Marino said. "They just know what they need to do."

Westfield may not be truly tested yet this season, but Knapp thinks the big margins of victory will help the team out in the long run.

"It's nice to have a decent lead against these teams because it allows us to get a lot more of our players in the games to get experience," Knapp said. "Then when we do play a close game, our coach will have confidence in everybody."

Despite what the final scores may indicate, the girls agree the victory over New Providence, 57-48, was a hard fought win along with the ten-point victory over Oak Knoll.

Marino said the girls on this Westfield team all get along very well and even though the depth is important, he call that the key to the early success this season. The head coach is having as much fun this season as he ever has coaching at the school. He also likes the way the team has continued to approach its games even with an undefeated record.

"We go into every game thinking we are 0-0, and every team is there to beat us," Marino said.

"We are kind of realizing how good we are and the potential that we have, but I think something that is very imperative is that we don't have this sense of cockiness and we are trying to stay humble," Scott said.

Rather than staying undefeated, Knapp and Scott said the goal for this team is to win the county tournament and make a statement in the state playoffs. 2008 was the last time Westfield won the Union County Tournament.